Refine Search

From Our Readers

Overprotective Parents

Thanks for your series “Young People Ask . . . ?” I refer in particular to the article “Why Are My Parents Overprotective?” (November 22, 1984) When we are adolescents, we do not always understand the reason for this. Now that I am an adult I am thankful that my mother was protective because I was saved from many bitter experiences, and now I have a happy married life.

L. R., Italy

Honey for Healing

Referring to your item “Honey Heals” (November 8, 1984), I wish to add my sincere support for the efficacy of honey as a wonderful natural healer for many human ailments. Leg ulcers occur mainly on the shinbone in subtropical Queensland, Australia, and take a long while to cure because of the lack of flesh so close to the bone. I recently spent six weeks in hospital with medication prior to a skin graft. Several patients there told me they had cured this complaint with pure honey. It is necessary to apply honey directly in its natural state, not to use poultices or water, as humidity increases the germination of the virus.

M. C. M., Australia

My wife and I have raised five children while using honey for all sorts of cuts and abrasions and burns. There was one rather serious one when one of our girls fell and ripped her cheek on a sharp pencil. Another when the hood of my old car fell and made a gash from my cheekbone to my chin. In all cases, there was never a trace of a scar.

C. R., Washington

As a microbiologist, I must ask you to let your readers know that the use of honey on wounds presents the very real danger of wound botulism. Honey very often contains the spores of the organism Clostridium botulinum. If these spores germinate and the bacterium grows, the toxin that causes botulism will be produced. Although wound botulism is very rare, your readers should be aware of its possibility.

J. S., New York

The item about honey, published in our issue of November 8, 1984, was based on a letter to the editor of “JAMA” (“The Journal of the American Medical Association”) from a doctor in London, England.

“Awake!” does not advocate any particular treatment or healing methods but does publish items of interest from reliable sources for the benefit of our readers.​—ED.

Child Molesting

I want to express my sincere thanks for your article on “Child Molesting” (January 22, 1985). As a child, I was sexually abused constantly by my oldest brother. I did not tell my mother since we did not have good communication, especially on sex. She was never very understanding, and my brother would threaten me by saying: “If you ever tell Mother, she’ll give you a licking.” This was true. When my mother did find out, she not only gave me a licking but I was humiliated in different ways. I am now an adult, but I have a young sister who suffers due to Mother’s lack of understanding. I try to make up for it. But I would like to stress the need for communication and understanding on the part of parents toward their children. A lack of these can be absolutely damaging.

J. G., Brazil